I have been busy

Outside play

Planted chokos

Prepared bed and planted raspberry canes

Built a chook run

Inside play (inspiration from the blog in brackets)

10 litres of laundry liquid (down to earth inspired)

2 x batches of soap (slow living essentials)

Rosemary hair rinse (slow living essentials)

Citrus vinegar cleaner (just like my nan made) i think?

Quiet time

Countless crochet beanies (slow living essentials)

SOAP The first lot of soap siezed because of a cheap essential oil added at trace - but it still worked out ok and I have started washing my hair with it.

The second batch is cinnamon and oatmeal - after the first attempt I didn't get it quite to trace and probably poured it too soon - so it will take a lot longer to set.

CITRUS VINEGAR All our citrus peels now get placed in a glass jar (big moccona coffee jar) and covered in vinegar to make a citrus vinegar. I have been using this as the final rinse in the washing machine. I also use it in a spray bottle to clean - well everything! I have a shaker of bi-carb that maked a nice cleaning fizz.

BEANIES I hadn't picked up a crochet hook for at least a decade - but was inspired by a post of a cute little girls beanie at slow living essentials to have another go. A youtube tutorial and a dud attempt and I haven't looked back. I have since crocheted at least one a day and on a good day I have made three.

See I told you I have been busy.

A new computer and a recipe for Ali

For Ali at Mud Pie :-)

Morrocan Style Eggplant Chickpea and Pumpkin Curry

(from the April 2009 good taste magazine)

1/4 olive oil

1 medium eggplant cut into 2cm pieces

500g pumpkin cut into 2cm pieces

1 large brown onion finely chopped

1 x 420g can chickpeas

2tbs morroccan seasoning

250 ml water

80g spinach leaves

70g greek yoghurt

steamed rice to serve

(i also added potatoes - because we'd just dug them!)

Heat 2 tbsp oil add eggplant and cook for 3 min - transfer to bowl.

Heat remaining oil and add pumpkin and onion and potato, cook for 4 mins, add eggplant chickpeas and seasoning.

cook 5 minutes or until pumpkin and potato are tender

add spinach and cook until spinach wilts

Stir in yoghurt - serve on rice.

I got a new laptop! hoping this will make uploading photos and blogging easier. The poor old puter got a new sound card and has been on a bender ever since.

More to come :-) I've been very busy!